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While he's clearly adding some hyperbole for the sake of the moment, Mark Dantonio's comparison of Le'Veon Bell to the Steelers' powerful Hall of Fame fullback brings up an interesting question: Is Bell going to be utilized in a zone or a power scheme?

As it turns out, Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio grew up a Steelers fan.

Certainly a convenient thing to tell the Pittsburgh media when discussing his player, Le'Veon Bell, being taken by those same Steelers.

Dantonio mentioned something a bit more provocative, though. He compared him to a Steelers legend.

According to Mike Griffith of MLive, Dantonio connected Bell to the Steelers in a great way:

"I grew up, I was a Steelers fan, too,'' Dantonio revealed. "They have a statue of Franco Harris when you walk in the airport.

"The things you do, running north and south, is very, very similar to him.''

Many of the moves the Steelers have made this offseason - the hiring of offensive line coach Jack Bicknell Jr. in particular - seem to suggest the team will make more of a concerted effort in running zone this season. Efforts to run zone last year were made but proved futile, at least somewhat in part to a lesser athletic combination of tackles.

Reviewing Bell's games last season, it seemed like Michigan State had something of the same problem. They wanted to run zone, and did, to varying levels of success. Clearly, Wisconsin's Montee Ball had more success in zone specific schemes over an outstanding career in one of the nation's best rushing teams.

While Dantonio is obviously throwing in a bit of hyperbole when making suggestions there's a link between Bell and Harris, it's an interesting question to consider: Is Bell the Steelers' guy to run zone, or is he going to be another link in a chain of runners aimed to harness specific skills over the entire running game?

One area in which Bell absolutely excels is in pass protection. He's not a game-breaking open field runner, but he can catch the ball well enough. His ability and desire to block could make him a third down candidate right off the bat.

It’s pass, pass, pass and sprinkle in a run for many in the NFL, but the Pittsburgh Steelers still believe in the physical ground game that has served them so well over the decades.

And that’s why last season’s total of 1,537 yards rushing — 26th out of 32 teams in the league — was as galling for the Steelers as their 8-8 record. And that’s why a franchise that is used to running and winning took Michigan State’s Le’Veon Bell in the second round Friday.

Bell carried it 382 times for 1,793 yards and 12 touchdowns as a junior at MSU, and considering the state of the Steelers’ depth chart at running back, he could be in line for heavy work right away.

“He’s coming from a pro-style offense … so I expect him to get into the mix and be a factor,” Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley said of Bell. “He looks like a workhorse back and I think those numbers indicate that he’s quite capable of carrying it a bunch. He’s not a guy that you’d shy away from giving it to him 30 times a game.”

From Franco Harris to Merril Hoge to Jerome Bettis, Pittsburgh has been known for power backs since the 1970s. Hoge introduced the pick Friday, giving his approval and calling Bell a “factor back,” and Bettis tweeted his congratulations to Bell.

Jonathan Dwyer led the Steelers in rushing last season with 623 yards but is reportedly on the trading block. Rashard Mendenhall, Pittsburgh’s first-round pick in 2008 out of Illinois, is with the Arizona Cardinals now after rushing for just 182 yards last season and battling injuries during his Pittsburgh tenure.

The Steelers signed diminutive speed back LaRod Stephens-Howling (5-feet-7, 185 pounds) and drafted Bell, and that looks like the likely one-two punch for next season. And the 6-2, 235-pound Bell would seem to be the favorite to be the lead back, even if he isn’t ready to make such proclamations.

“I’m going to come in and compete,” Bell said. “I’m going to come in there and do the best that I possibly can. I’m going to come in and compete with the other backs and the other backs are going to compete with me. They’re going to try to make me better and I’m going to make them better at the same time.”

Haley called Bell “a three-down back, which is a big thing for us — a guy who can play first, second and third down.”

“He does it all,” MSU coach Mark Dantonio said Friday after congratulating Bell on the realization of his dream. “He is a complete football player.”

Bell is the third MSU running back drafted in Dantonio’s tenure, joining Javon Ringer in 2009 (fifth round, No. 173 overall to Tennessee) and Edwin Baker in 2012 (seventh round, No. 250 overall to San Diego).

He’s also the earliest MSU pick since receiver Devin Thomas went No. 34 overall to Washington in 2008. And he might be the best-suited for his new employer than any former Spartan in a long time.

PITTSBURGH – The Steelers say they don’t draft for need, but their moves on Friday ...

... would lend to the argument against that.

A day after taking University of Georgia linebacker Jarvis Jones with their first-round pick in the draft, the Steelers shored up a depleted running back position by signing free agent LaRod Stephens-Howling and selecting former Michigan State star Le’Veon Bell and Oregon State receiver Markus Wheaton in the second and third rounds.

“We’re really excited to have Le’Veon,” said Steelers offensive coordinator. “We think he’s a three-down back, a guy that can play on first, second and third down. He’s got really good hands, catches the ball very well out of the backfield. And he’s a young kid, who doesn’t have a lot of tread on the tire, so to speak.”

Running back became a big position of need for the Steelers in the offseason when they lost former No. 1 draft pick Rashard Mendenhall to Arizona as a free agent and released 2012 fifth- round pick Chris Rainey after he was arrested on assault charges in Florida.

That left the Steelers with just three running backs, Jonathan Dwyer, Isaac Redman and Baron Batch on the roster.

And at wide receiver, the team lost Mike Wallace, leaving the Steelers with aging Plaxico Burress and Jerricho Cotchery with any experience behind starters Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders. Sanders, Burress and Cotchery will all be free agents at the end of the 2013 season.

“With Rashard no longer here and Chris Rainey no longer part of the mix, it was a position that we needed to bring in competition,” said Haley. “We got two totally different guys with LaRod and Le’Veon. We’re all excited. It puts us back in a place where we can have a chance to run the ball and throw the ball out of the backfield successfully.”

With Mendenhall coming off a torn ACL, the Steelers use a running back-by-committee approach and ranked just 26th in the NFL in rushing in 2012. Dwyer’s 623 yards were the fewest for a team leader since Merril Hoge had 610 in 1991.

In the 21-year-old Bell, the Steelers feel they are getting a workhorse runner capable of carrying the ball 20 times per game. Bell, 6-1, 230 pounds, led in the Big Ten in rushing in 2012 with 1,793 yards on an astounding 382 carries – which led college football - scoring 12 touchdowns, adding another 167 yards and a score on 32 receptions.

“I’m a balanced runner,” said Bell, who grew up just outside of Columbus, Ohio. “I’m a bigger guy. I’m 230 pounds. I can go in there and get tough yardage and short yardage. A lot of people look at me like, ‘He’s just a short-yardage back.’ But I don’t look at myself like that. I can get to the outside and beat you with speed. I can catch the ball out of the backfield. I can pass protect. I can play special teams. I played on punt return and kick return in college. There’s a lot of things I can do to bring value to the Steelers and that’s what I plan on doing.”

Haley compared Bell, who ran a 4.57 40-yard dash and had the fastest three-cone drill time among running backs at the NFL combine, to a former NFL running back who also spent some time in Columbus.

“I drew some Eddie George physical traits to him,” said Haley of the former Ohio State and Tennessee Titans star. “He’s taller than what you normally see. He’s a good athlete, and we love the fact that he catches the ball really well, yet still has that big-back presence.”

In the 5-7, 185-pound Stephens-Howling, the Steelers got a player with a scat-back presence.

A seventh-round pick in 2009, Stephens-Howling has appeared in 57 NFL games, making 10 starts. He has gained 651 yards and scored five touchdowns on 182 carries, while also catching 56 passes for 534 yards and three scores, while also returning three kickoffs for scores.

Wheaton, 5-11, 182 pounds, caught 227 career passes for the Beavers, including 91 in 2012, setting a school record. He also had 2,994 receiving yards and scored 16 touchdowns, while adding another 631 yards rushing and five scores on 83 carries.

“He’s had great production both as a receiver and handled the ball as a runner, which we like from a versatility standpoint,” said Haley. “He’s a good solid football player that brings speed to the team. He’s a fast guy who can stretch the field. He’s a good, versatile football player.”

Bell is a tough, bruising back that is rarely taken down on first contact, and eats up yards after contact. According to STATS, Inc., Bell had 922 yards after contact, best in the NCAA.

That's the thing. He is yardage after contact guy, but from what I've read, he's not necessarily a "bruiser". I've actually read a lot of analysis that says he is a finesse big back, which would jibe with the Franco comparison. I've said that while he wasn't on my radar at all, I'm happy with the pick... given the things he's supposed to bring.